Of all the books I’ve read so far this year, The Woman in the Window had the most hype surrounding it, so I was very excited to finally read it.
Book Description:
What did she see?
It’s been ten long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside.
Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family of three, they are an echo of the life that was once hers.
But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened. But even if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?
My Thoughts:
The Woman in the Window is a thoroughly engaging read; the use of short sentences, and short chapters, created that “just one more chapter” feeling that had me flying through the pages! While there’s no denying this novel had me hooked, it is a slow burner. The mystery slowly builds, you spend the beginning of the novel slowly getting to know Anna and then the reveals start coming.
But, for me, more than the mystery, was Anna’s character – she was such an interesting character. Living in a drink and prescription drug filled haze, living with agoraphobia, you just wanted to understand her, what caused her to live this way? Why can she give advice to others struggling with agoraphobia but cannot take her own advice? What, or who, damaged her so much? In Anna’s world everything is hazy, so when she sees something outside her window, you can’t help but wonder if this is unreliable narration at play or if what Anna believes she saw really did happen.
“It isn’t paranoia if it’s really happening.”
Certain parts of this novel were predictable, and some parts completely blindsided me, but either way, I didn’t care, I loved Finn’s fluid writing style, it made for easy reading. Such a simple writing style created this emotional pull, and I was sucked in. I loved the theme of Mental Health that ran through this entire novel. What Finn has done here, is build a vivid picture of one woman living with agoraphobia and weaved in a brilliant mystery. As for the psychological thrills, they’re subtle but emotionally charged and that’s what makes you invested in the plot and Anna’s character. I know, I’ll stay thinking about this one for a while.
If you enjoy a slow burner that falls into the psychological drama category, and love character-driven novels, I highly recommend you read The Woman in the Window.
This book is available to buy from: Amazon UK / Book Depository
Will be reading it later in month for March bookclub choice…..So much hype I’m nearly afraid of it!
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Don’t be afraid, lol, I think it’s definitely worth the hype if you enjoy psychological dramas 😊 I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
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I love a slow burner psychological novel! I’m really looking forward to reading this one, just gotta find some time to slip it into my TBR. I’m so behind on reading at the moment! Agh!
Great review as always 🙂
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I’m super behind on reading, yet I still decided to read IT with its 1000+ Pages 😆 so I fully understand 😂 But definitely make time for this one!
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I need to read IT, I was going to ask to join your readalong for it but I knew I wouldn’t get it read on time so I didn’t lol
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Haha, fair enough, don’t worry I’ve got plenty more readalongs planned for the rest of the year. I’m planning one each month – and the majority are King 😊
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Fab! I’ll definitely join in for one of them soon 😀
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I never read a novel with agoraphobia in it and he used this very cleverly. I liked it too, I only wouldn’t call it ‘the revelation of the year’, which how it was advertised when I got it :-). Great review love!
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Ooo yeah, not “revelation of the year” but a very good book! It makes me cringe, sometimes, when marketers use the wrong phrase as it creates the wrong expectation and then runs the risk of the book falling short for some people
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I love your review – really captures the spirit of the book. This was one of my favorite reads of last year!
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Thank you, I’m so glad you liked my review. I was surprised by how strong the emotional element was but I thought it worked extremely well – I do love psychological dramas 😊
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Great review Janel, will definitely be picking this book up at some point.
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Thanks, Kerrie, I think you’ll really like this one!
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Glad this worked much better for you, it was a DNF for me:( Maybe I gave up too soon but Anna and the old movies bothered me.
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I couldn’t remember if this was the one you DNF’d, I hate that you didn’t like it 😂 I do wonder how it was marketed and if that played an impact. Yeah, there was a lot of the old movies but that didn’t bother me, it was just Anna’s “thing” 😂
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I am about 60% of the way through with this one now and….well I am not that jazzed about it. Hopefully the big reveal makes up for it. I will let you know how it goes!
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Ah, I’m sorry you’re not loving this one already, I hope it gets better for you 😊
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The ending was quite good, phew! 😉
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Phew 😅 haha!
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I Loved this one! A favorite so far this year! Fabulous review of it.
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It’s in my top books of the year (so far) too 😊
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I love “one more chapter” books! Excited to read this one!
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I hope you love it!!
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I haven’t heard of this one, but it sounds good. I love books with short chapters that make you want to read on. Slow burns, too, are very good.
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Yes, that “one more chapter” feeling is great, and also keeps me reading into the early AM. I hope you enjoy this one, if you decide to give it a go 😊
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I loved this one, and I’m glad you did too! Great review! Her family thing threw me for a loop..I wasn’t expecting that!
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I really liked this one, much more than I anticipated 😊 so glad you liked my review. Happy reading!x
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Yes, me too! It was intriguing! I did, as always! You too! Xxx
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I obviously don’t spend enough time on social media – I have missed any mention of this book! Sounds good though!
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Haha, I think that sometimes about certain books that seem popular but I haven’t heard of them. This one was hype on instagram (rather than twitter) 😊
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Oh I’m even worse at instagram! 😜
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My book club is reading this book this month! I’m excited about it, it sounds so good. Great review!
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I hope you love it too, and it’s a great book club choice, so many discussion-worthy bits! 😊
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Great review Janel! I have read some terrific reviews of this book (including yours) and now I’m really excited to read it, I’ve only heard good things!
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I’m so glad you’re excited to read this one, I really hope you enjoy it 😊
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I loved this book so much! Great review.
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Thanks 😊
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